The present invention relates to a video printer that can provide a fast printing speed and occupy a small volume.
Conventionally, video printers rotate the printing paper three times while a thermal printing head sequentially sublimes three dyes of Yellow (Y), Magenta (M) and Cyan (C) laid on a three colors ribbon. The amount of the dye sublimation is controlled by the amount of the heat generation of the thermal printing head.
Such a conventional video printer, as shown in FIG. 1, comprises a platen drum 52, and a thermal printing head 51 positioned over the platen drum, wherein a color ribbon 53 having three dyes of Y, M and C and a printing paper 54 are loaded between the head 51 and the platen drum 52. The printing paper 54 is closely fixed on the platen drum 52 by a holder, rotated together with the platen drum, while the thermal printing head 51 generates heat to sequentially sublime the three dyes on the color ribbon 53, so that the sublimed dyes are absorbed on the printing paper 54. The reason why the platen drum 52 is rotated three times is to combine the three colors in the same position on the printing paper to obtain a full color printing. Namely, whenever the platen drum 52 makes a rotation, each of the three colors are sequentially printed with a slight time interval. Then, the printed paper 54 is discharged through the discharging section. Thus, because the platen drum has to be rotated three times in order to complete a printing, it takes too much time for printing Further, the printing positions of the three colors are deviate from each other in spite of the constant rotational speed of the platen drum 52, thereby causing the deterioration of the quality of the printing image. Moreover, the diameter of the cylindrical platen drum should be large enough to wind the printing paper, so that the height of the printer sufficient to accommodate the drum makes it impossible to decrease the volume of the printer.